FROM CBD NEWS SOURCEFRISCO, Texas – Texas State is favored to win its fourth consecutive Southland Conference regular-season baseball championship by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Thursday.

The Bobcats were the overwhelming favorites in both polls, receiving the maximum 11 first-place votes and 121 points in the coaches’ and SID polls. Texas State returns 20 letterwinners, six starters and 10 pitchers from a Bobcat squad that won its third consecutive regular-season title and first conference tournament title since 2000. Among the returning players are senior All-Americans Casey Kalenkosky and Tyler Sibley, senior all-conference selection Jeff McVaney and senior starting pitcher Mitchell Pitts. Texas State, which finished the 2011 season with a 41-23 overall record, went 24-9 in conference play, recording its fifth 20-win season in conference play in the last six years.

The second-, third- and fourth-place teams in both polls are separated by less than 10 points.

Stephen F. Austin was selected second in the SID poll, gathering the final first-place from the SIDs and 92 total points. The Lumberjacks, who fell to Texas State in the conference championship a year ago, finished third in the coaches’ poll with a total of 84 points.

Southeastern Louisiana was picked second in the coaches’ polls and third by the SIDs. The Lions received a total of 88 points in both polls. UTSA was tabbed fourth by both the coaches and SIDs. The Roadrunners received 82 points from the coaches and 83 points from the SIDs.

Sam Houston State grabbed the final first-place vote from the coaches to land in the fifth spot with 77 total points. The Bearkats were selected sixth in the SID poll with 74 points.

Lamar, which has won conference-best 10 regular season titles, was picked sixth by the coaches with 67 points and fifth by the SIDs with 79 points.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was tabbed seventh by both coaches and SIDs a year after finishing third in the regular season. The Islanders received 51 points in the coaches’ poll and 66 points from the SIDs.

UT Arlington was picked eighth in both the polls with 49 points from the coaches and 52 from the SIDs.

In the coaches’ poll, McNeese State was selected ninth followed by Northwestern State, Nicholls State and Central Arkansas to round out the poll. McNeese State and Nicholls State each collected 39 points to tie for ninth in the SID poll. Northwestern State and Central Arkansas were tabbed 11th and 12th, respectively, to fill out the SID poll.

Opening day of the Southland season is Feb. 17 with conference play beginning March 9. The Southland Conference tournament will be played May 23-26 at the Bobcat Baseball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.

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